CBS News
Out-of-control tanning tips are trendy on social media. Doctor shares the dangers behind them.
Despite a better awareness for skin cancer and ways to prevent it, some people are taking to social media to share their extreme sun habits.
From anti-sunscreen stances to out-of-control tanning tips, we asked a dermatologist to weigh in on some of the outrageous takes we’re seeing on TikTok and beyond.
First up: skipping sunscreen altogether.
In a video with nearly 50,000 views, TikTok user @will.lamb.1 says he’s “not going to wear sunscreen this summer, and neither should you” to his more than 80,000 followers. “Laguna Beach” star Kristin Cavallari raised eyebrows for a podcast clip in which she admitted to not wearing sunscreen. And in a video posted to Twitter with 1.2 million views, user @GubbaHomestead writes, “I don’t wear sunscreen, and I never will,” calling sunscreen the “enemy.”
Experts disagree.
Anytime of year, but especially as we spend more time outdoors, wearing sunscreen is vital in helping protect skin from the sun’s harmful rays.
The American Cancer Society recommends using a broad spectrum sunscreen (which protects against both UVA and UVB rays) with a sun protection factor, or SPF, value of 30 or higher. You should be wearing this level of sunscreen every day, even on cloudy days, according to the American Academy of Dermatology.
“A lot of those platforms are really there for entertainment, and not for education,” Dr. Alexandra Theriault, a dermatologist with U.S. Dermatology Partners Denver, told CBS News, reminding people to seek professional medical advice, not influencers’ opinions.
“The best advice you’re going to get is if you make a consultation with your dermatologist,” she said. “Everybody’s got different types of skin, different color of skin, different issues that they’re trying to address and you’re really not going to get a customized plan without seeing somebody in person.”
And while skin cancer is also the most common form of cancer in the United States, according to the Skin Cancer Foundation, sunscreen isn’t the cause — which some on social media claim.
Instead, increases can be attributed to environmental factors and increased awareness and diagnosis, Theriault said.
“There is no increased risk that’s ever been proven with any sunscreen ingredient,” she said. “The increase that we’re seeing in skin cancer is that we do have an ozone hole that has been increasing… The other is that people actually go to the doctor more than they used to, so we’re seeing more skin cancers being diagnosed because people are getting more screenings than they used to.”
Another trend is using household oils to tan.
One video with more than 160,000 likes shows someone using olive oil to help her tan without being “full of chemicals.” Others are showing off their tans after using baby oil or tanning oil products with no SPF.
“Oils that don’t have any sun protective ingredients in them have never helpful against sun exposure,” Theriault said, adding there’s evidence olive oil can actually irritate skin.
And remember, you don’t have to get a sunburn to suffer sun damage. Wearing sunscreen not only helps reduce the risk of cancer but also cosmetic concerns that result from the sun’s rays.
“We know the sun and UV rays result in photoaging, sun spots, wrinkles and increased risk of skin cancer. Sunscreen helps protect against these effects,” dermatologist Dr. Samer Jaber of at Washington Square Dermatology in New York, previously told CBS News. “When you are outside, please practice sun-safe behaviors.”
What to know about “chemicals” in sunscreen
A common thread in these trends is a desire to be more “natural,” often prompted by fears around chemical sunscreen, which often carry misconceptions due to the labeling.
While reports on the risks of chemicals like PFAS may have primed people to view the word “chemicals” as “bad,” it simply describes one of two types of sunscreen: chemical and mineral, which are categorized based on their active ingredients.
Chemical sunscreens, which include chemical UV filters, work like a sponge, absorbing radiation from UV rays. Mineral sunscreens have physical UV filters, which work like a shield that deflects rays by sitting on the surface of your skin.
Specific ingredients of chemical sunscreens like oxybenzone have been shown to be detected in the body even weeks after use, but as CBS News’ Nikki Battiste reported last year, that doesn’t mean they are dangerous.
“Nothing has really been shown to date as far as any health effects,” Theriault said, but adds people can opt for mineral sunscreen instead if they prefer.
An Alaska Airlines flight made an emergency landing at LAX after blowing out a tire during its takeoff at Dulles International Airport near Washington D.C.
The aircraft landed at LAX at about 8:10 p.m. without incident. First responders were standing by on the runway as a precaution.
Out of the 175 passengers and six crew members aboard Flight 309, no one was injured.
“While this incident is a rare occurrence, our flight crews train extensively to safely manage through many scenarios,” the airliner stated.
Alaska stated that the pilot declared the emergency landing as a precaution to ensure the flight had extra support if needed.
The company said it would investigate what caused the Boeing 737-900 to malfunction. The aircraft will not be in service during the investigation.
CBS News
German soccer club St. Pauli quits X ahead of snap elections, calls platform a “hate machine”
A German soccer club is leaving X because of the increase in hate speech and disinformation on the social media platform that it claims could undermine the snap elections in the country.
FC St. Pauli announced the decision on Thursday, saying billionaire owner Elon Musk has turned the platform into a “hate machine” since he took over the company in 2022.
“Racism and conspiracy theories are allowed to spread unchecked and even curated,” St. Pauli said in a statement. “Insults and threats are seldom sanctioned and are sold as freedom of speech.”
The club said it had already limited posts on X and increased “political statements in support of diversity and inclusion to make a stand against hate.”
Selim Sudheimer / Getty Images
Named after Hamburg’s St. Pauli district, the club, which plays in the Bundesliga, is known among soccer fans for its left-leaning supporter base. Fan groups often chant anti-racist slogans and promote diversity within the club.
St. Pauli also underlined Musk’s role in last week’s U.S. presidential election, and alleged his platform could affect the outcome of the snap elections in Germany, which are scheduled to take place next February, by “manipulating the public discourse.”
“Musk was a major backer of the Trump campaign and also used X for this purpose,” the club said. “It is to be assumed that X will also promote authoritarian, misanthropic and far-right content during the forthcoming German election campaign.”
St. Pauli said it would no longer share content on X but it will not deactivate the account. The club urged supporters to follow its updates on Bluesky, an alternative social media platform that has observed a surge of new members after President-elect Donald Trump’s election victory last week.
Musk was a key figure in Trump’s third election campaign, donating millions of dollars and promoting content for his message on X. Trump announced this week that he will be part of the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency alongside fellow billionaire Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur who sought the Republican Party’s nomination.
On Nov. 6, the German coalition government collapsed after Chancellor Olaf Scholz dismissed the finance minister, who represented the pro-business Free Democratic Party. The chancellor will seek a vote of confidence at the German Bundestag in December.
St. Pauli aims to migrate its nearly 250,000 followers ahead of February’s snap elections in Germany in which the center-right opposition Christian Democratic Union is expected to make significant gains.
The far-right Alternative for Germany party has also gained popularity. With 76 seats, it is the fifth largest party in the Bundestag. In September’s Thuringian state election, the AfD became the first far-right party in Germany to have won an election since World War II.
CBS News
Trump meets with Argentina’s president, the first foreign leader he’s met with since election
Donald Trump met Thursday at his Mar-a-Lago club with Argentine President Javier Milei, the first foreign leader to meet with the president-elect since his victory in last week’s election.
The meeting was confirmed by a person who insisted on anonymity to discuss an event that hadn’t yet been announced publicly. The person said the meeting went well and said Milei also met with investors.
A short time later, Milei, a self-described “anarcho-capitalist” and frequent recipient of Trump praise, addressed the America First Policy Institute gala at Mar-a-Lago. He slammed left-wing ideologies and saluted Elon Musk, the owner of X, saying his social media site is helping to “save humanity.”
Trump also spoke to the gala crowd, congratulating Milei “for the job you’ve done for Argentina” and saying it was an “honor” to have Argentina’s president at Mar-a-Lago.
“The job you’ve done is incredible. Make Argentina Great Again, you know, MAGA. He’s a MAGA person,” Trump said to applause. “And you know, he’s doing that.”
Shortly after Milei’s election in November 2023, Trump posted on social media, “You will turn your country around and truly Make Argentina Great Again!”
Milei first met Trump in February at the Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, in the Washington area. He has openly declared his admiration for Trump and when he saw him, he rushed to him screaming “president!” and gave him a close hug before they posed for pictures.
The Argentine president is known for his eccentric personality and first made a name for himself by shouting against Argentina’s “political caste” on television. The right-wing populist campaigned with a chainsaw as his prop to symbolize his plans to slash public spending and scrap government ministries.
